How to survive in the Romance Fantasy Game

Chapter 461: A night to remember

”Bye~ Bye~ for now, darling. Take care of my sisters for me, okay?”

”Yeah…”

Riley watched as Liyana waved from the carriage, her usual playful tone lingering in the air.

He raised his hand for a half-hearted wave in return, then quietly turned back toward the house.

His steps were slow, not out of hesitation, but because he already knew what tonight would bring.

He wasnʼt exactly dreading it. If anything, he was… fine with it.

Maybe more than fine. But still, that small thread of caution tugged at the back of his mind.

Not fear—just awareness. Liyana was fine with everything.

Sheʼd even smiled while saying goodbye, like she knew exactly what she was leaving him to handle.

Maybe that was the problem.

Her being okay with it made everything a bit more real and suspicious…

”Promises are promises…” Riley muttered under his breath.

And he wasnʼt the type to go back on something like that—not when it came to the girls.

By the time he got back inside, he noticed that night had fully settled in.

The lights inside the mansion were warm, but the air felt different—charged. Like everyone inside was already waiting for something to begin.

As he stepped into the living room, the soft sound of laughter and quiet voices welcomed him.

The girls were gathered around, some sitting, some standing, but all of them admiring the matching necklaces he had given them earlier.

ʼI guess it was a good call giving them all the same gift…ʼ

Riley thought as he leaned against the doorway, watching.

Noticing him, Rose looked up first. Her golden eyes flickered toward him.

”So… is our little sister gone now?”

Riley chuckled softly. He could never quite tell if Rose liked Liyana or not, the way she called her ”little sister” always sounded a little off. Still, she didnʼt sound upset.

”Yes,” he said, walking further into the room. ”Liyana got to her carriage safely.”

”I see. Thatʼs good,” Rose nodded, her tone neutral.

”Hehe~ I guess youʼre still not used to Liyana, huh, Rose?” Alice said, smiling as she tilted her head slightly.

”Well, not exactly,” Rose replied, a little hesitant. ”I just find her personality hard to deal with… but I donʼt hate her though.”

”Fufu~ Weʼre already sisters tied to one man,” Snow chimed in from the side, her voice calm but teasing. ”So, you better get used to it…”

Well, all in all, Riley was glad things with Liyana havenʼt exploded the way he thought they would go to.

Sure, he was not a hundred percent sure where everyone stands, but the four of them did seem to get along… at least on the surface.

That alone was already more than he couldʼve asked for.

Especially considering this was Liyana we were talking about.

The fact she even showed that level of affection—or whatever that was—for the other girls was honestly impressive.

A small step, but a meaningful one.

”Masterrrr!!!”

Lost in thought, he snapped back to reality at the sound of Lavineʼs tiny voice.

There she was—still stuck between Snowʼs firm grip, her fairy-sized body practically squished flat.

Her arms flailed weakly as she looked at Riley with a pleading expression, like a stuffed animal begging for rescue.

Right.

ʼTime to save this little familiar of mine.ʼ

”By the way, girls, have you eaten yet?” Riley said, casually steering the mood. ”Why donʼt we head to the dining table now? Mother and the others arenʼt back yet, but I asked the butler earlier to prepare something for us.”

”We had a few light snacks earlier, but not dinner yet,” Alice answered with a grin. ”So donʼt mind us if we dig in~”

”Right. Also… Snow, you might wanna let go of my familiar now.”

”…Oh.”

Snow finally looked down and realized what she was holding—or, more accurately, crushing.

Lavineʼs body dangled limply in her hands like sheʼd just lost a boss fight in some cute fairy RPG.

”It seems I got a little too excited with how adorable she was,” Snow said quickly, her eyes widening as she handed Lavine back over to Riley. ”Iʼm so sorry, Riley. And to you too, little miss fairy…”

Riley couldnʼt help but chuckle as he took Lavine into his palms. Her wings twitched weakly, and her face was frozen in a dramatic, traumatized stare.

”Sheʼs fine, donʼt worry,” Riley said, brushing some mana into her small frame. ”Just needs a bit of my mana and sheʼll be fluttering around again in no time.”

Lavine let out a weak groan, her tiny hands gripping his collar like sheʼd just returned from war.

”Letʼs go, shall we?” Riley said, smiling at the others.

And with that, they moved towards the dining room….

….

Dinner went about as peacefully as Riley expected.

The four talked about all sorts of random things—nothing too serious—and the food was beautifully delicious.

ʼHonestly, I had to hand it to the chef this time.ʼ

The moment Riley informed the butler about dinner; it felt like the kitchen went into overdrive.

Every dish was top-class. Riley didnʼt even know they had ingredients like that lying around.

He guessed the whole household already knows who the girls were by now.

Makes sense.

Still, this was the first time Heʼd ever tasted something this good from that chef.

Either he was trying to impress him, or the chef really didnʼt want to screw up in front of the girls.

Not that he could blame him.

Time passed and the conversations at the table were light, but warm.

The kind of talk, you remember—not because of what was said, but because of who was there.

Riley told them a bit about his hometown. Just simple stuff.

A few things about his childhood.

What he liked, what he didnʼt like.

Nothing too personal, but nothing too fake either.

The kind of answers that didnʼt say too much, but were still honest.

Out of the three, Alice was easily the most talkative of the group.

No surprise there.

With her bubbly personality, she could probably carry an entire dinner by herself if she had to.

Still, Riley thought it was nice seeing her talk about herself in that kind of setting.

She seemed happy—maybe even a little proud.

As this was an Alice, she couldnʼt get a glimpse of in the game something about his reality now made it seem more magical.

But what he liked most was getting to know a bit more about Rose and Snow.

”So… you donʼt like your father, Rose?”

Rose paused, setting her fork down neatly on the side of her plate.

”Yes,” she said quietly, but firmly. ”But donʼt worry. Iʼve already made sure he wonʼt be able to interfere with our relationship. Iʼve even started putting a few plans in place.”

She didnʼt explain what those plans were, but Riley had a feeling they involved Dorothy somehow.

Something about her tone—calm, but already decided—made it clear it wasnʼt something she needed help with.

Not yet, anyway.

It was her battle, and Riley could tell she wanted to face it alone.

So, he left it at that.

Snow, meanwhile, kept the conversation circling back to what she liked calling ”the complications of the harem.”

She brought it up casually, like she was just keeping things organized, but there was a certain seriousness behind her words.

Especially when she reminded them—more than once—that with the Emperorʼs partial approval, no one had the right to question any of it now.

That was just her way, he guessed. Cool, composed, and always keeping track of the bigger picture.

Even though we were just sitting around a table, talking and eating like it was the most normal thing in the world…

Eventually, when dinner had ended and the plates were cleared, the atmosphere in the room shifted slightly.

It wasnʼt tense, but there was a heaviness in the air.

Something unspoken lingered—like the girls wanted to bring up a certain topic but werenʼt sure how.

Then Snow stood up from her seat.

She brushed some strands of hair behind her ear and spoke casually, though the slight flush in her cheeks gave her away.

”Well then… Iʼll wash up first,” she said. ”Rose, come as well.”

Rose gave a quiet nod and stood without hesitation.

The two girls briefly looked toward Alice.

Their glances werenʼt subtle, but they didnʼt need to be.

Alice caught on quickly and gave them a small, understanding smile. ”I wonʼt interfere, donʼt worry. As a matter of fact, Iʼll make sure nobody does.”

That seemed to put both Snow and Rose at ease, even if just a little.

They smiled—softly, almost shyly—and a slight redness reached the tips of their ears.

Despite all the bold talk from earlier, it was clear they were still girls at heart.

No matter how confident they acted, moments like these always revealed the gentler parts of them.

They made brief eye contact with Riley before leaving.

Their expressions were light, but there was a quiet tension there—expectation, maybe even nervousness.

He met their eyes, and though no words were exchanged, the message was clear.

Then the two girls quietly exited the room, leaving Riley alone at the dining table with Alice.

Alice leaned her elbows on the table and tilted her head, her golden eyes shimmering with amusement.

”Hehe~ I guess Snow and Rose are getting a little excited,” she said with a giggle.

Riley exhaled softly and leaned back in his chair.

”Theyʼve always held back a lot of their real feelings. Or… maybe just Snow. Either way, with all the delays and holding back on my part, I canʼt really blame them for being frustrated.”

Alice smirked a bit. ”Are you not excited too, Riley?”

He looked at her for a second before answering.

”Of course, I am.”

And he meant it.

Snow and Rose werenʼt just beautiful—they were irreplaceable.

Just like Alice, Seo and Liyana...

Each of them brought something different into his life, something warm and real.

For a guy like him, being loved by girls like them almost felt too good to be true.

But it was real. And that made all the difference.

Sitting there with Alice, watching her grin at him like that, Riley felt something simple but rare.